Free ad-supported iTunes Radio is dead

Today marks the official end of free ad-supported iTunes Radio stations.

Apple announced earlier in the month that it would get rid of the free ad-supported version of its Pandora competitor.

Instead, iTunes Radio has been folded into Apple Music. Apple’s Beats 1 radio, DJ-hosted station, is now being marketed as Apple’s only “premier free broadcast.”

Apple Music customers now have access to dozens of curated radio stations focused on various musical genres.

To continue to listen to these stations, listeners will need to convert to paid subscribers of Apple Music. That service costs $9.99 per month for an individual account, or $14.99 for a family subscription with up to 6 people included on the account.

Apple announced in January that Apple Music has already surpassed 10 million paying subscribers — up from 6.5 million in October.

While competitor Pandora has 78 million active users, only 3.9 million of those customers actually pay for the service.

Franklin Simmons is BusinessPundit's Tech Editor. His life is consumed with a love of augmented reality, mobility, and emerging technology. He extensively covers all areas of technology, including the computing, automotive, and healthcare sectors. He can be reached at College Reviews